Invicta encourages other cities towards circular economy

The CityLoops collaborative network was launched in Porto, a partnership that unites municipal entities, the social sector and tourism organisations in the Northern Region in the prevention and reduction of food waste.

The meeting took place this Thursday, at the Porto Innovation Hub facilities, in a session with the participation of the vice-mayor and councilman for the Environment of Porto City Hall, Filipe Araújo.

The session presented innovative tools and actions that are being applied in Porto towards circular economy, namely: the analysis of the circularity of the bio-waste sector in the city, circularity models for the tourist and social sectors, the expansion of food donation networks, the expansion of selective collection of organic waste (with more than 25 thousand members and 400 proximity bins) and the local treatment of bio-waste, with the implementation of community composting islands, the certification system for urban green spaces to encourage sustainable practices in the management and maintenance of these spaces. The FoodLoop initiative (a circular ideas competition), promoted by the Municipality along with the partner entities that are part of the project’s local consortium, was also mentioned.

The sharing of these actions aimed to mobilize other municipalities and organisations to cooperate in the prevention and reduction of food waste and enhance circularity in the bio-waste sector, in a broader vision of the food system, in order to contribute to the transaction to a circular economy in the region, with less food waste, less residues, more sustainable and healthier.

Members of the CityLoops Collaborative network will benefit from sharing experiences, learning, challenges, barriers and successes of the tools and actions implemented, as well as from the technical support of the CityLoops consortium for its potential adaptation and replication.

CityLoops is a project led by ICLEI – Local Government for Sustainability, funded by the Programa Horizonte (H2020 - Grant Agreement 821033) and is being implemented in seven cities (Apeldoorn, Bodø, Højebb-Taastrup, Mikkeli, Porto, Roskilde, and Seville) aiming at closing the flow cycles and increasing the circularity of materials in urban areas.

Porto Municipaliy, Porto Ambiente, LIPOR and the 2GO Out Consulting are the organisations responsible for implementing the project in the city, contributing to the implementation of the strategic vision for Circular Economy in Porto, reflected in the Roadmap for the circular city of Porto in 2030, and ambitions for a circular and regenerative food system.